Warren Hills Regional High School field hockey team clips Chatham in NJSIAA Tournament

The Warren Hills Regional High School field hockey team fell behind visiting Chatham by two goals in the first four minutes today but stormed back with four late scores for a 6-3 win in the NJSIAA North 2 Group 3 semifinals.

"We came out flat and fell behind right away. I wanted to get the team on the board and get the spirit back," said Nissen, who tied the game 2-2 with goals at 12:07 and 9:27 of the first half.

Nissen's first goal finished a scramble in which the Blue Streaks fired two shots at Chatham goalie Kim Pyhel before Niki Miller came up with a rebound off the goalkeeper's pads and found Nissen in position for a shot and score.

About three and a half minutes later, Nissen drove in for an unassisted score.

After Chatham reclaimed the lead by scoring the first goal of the second half, sophomore forward Sydney Muntone took over the game for the Streaks.

"Sydney split the defense and got it up the field for us today," said Warren Hills coach Laurie Kerr. "We have an offensive-minded team, and we have several girls who can step up when we need it. It does not all have to fall on Niki Miller's shoulders. If they want to put extra defensive attention on her, we have other options."

Warren Hills ran up and down the field and kept firing away. The Streaks totaled 31 shots, a remarkable total, considering they did not get one off in the first four minutes. Chatham could have gone ahead 3-0 if not for a defensive save by sophomore defender Amanda Crampton.

"It took a defensive adjustment to get the offense going," Kerr said. "We needed to put a match-up on No. 15 (Meghan Murray) because she was playing with the ball and doing whatever she wanted out there. She's a skilled player who was giving us trouble."

Muntone's second goal with 14:19 left gave Warren Hills its first lead at 4-3.

Nissen scored her third goal at 11:56 on the Blue Streaks' 10th corner of the game. Miller gave her a feed and Nissen poked the ball into the cage from directly in front of the right post.

"It's all about playing as a team for us; we have a lot of well-rounded players," said Nissen, who has 14 goals this season. "We have the heart to come back. I want to go to the state championship with this team, and now we are a step closer."

Miller increased her team-leading scoring totals to 24 goals and 24 assists with a goal and two assists.

"For the second straight game, she (Miller) was up against a talented goalie," said Kerr of Pyhel who made 19 saves. "We were taking shots that were spot on, low and hard. Those were real saves. They made our goalie work, too, so it must have been a great game for the fans to watch, but it was a rough one to coach."